Realistic competitive golfing game



June 13, 1967 1. A. TuRczYNsKl 3,324,726

REALISTIC COMPETITIVE GOLF'ING GAME Filed July 2, 1964 x8 55 WENT@ 5o 54 Joep ZlrcjynS/Q United States Patent Oilice 3,324,725 Patented .lune i3, 1967 3,324,725 REALISTC CMPEITIVE GGFNG GAIWE Joseph A. Turczynski, 473 Crest Lane, Antioch, Ill. 66%2 Filed July 2, 1%4, Ser. No. 379,380 5 Claims. (Cl. 73-379) ABSTRACT 0F THE DIS'CLGSURE A simulated golf game having a ball tethered to a slide in a tube which projects a ball into a spiral track with yardage markers while the golf ball strikes an indentible backboard which has a picture of a typical fairway and green thereon.

This invention relates to gaming devices and more specically to a novel precision game which realistically emulates the game of golf giving the player or players a satisfying performance such as will improve their actual score and also provide a pastime and competitive action under the same rules as conventional links.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a novel golf game which incorporates a tethered ball for actuating a yardage indicating mechanism responsive to the force exerted by the ball in proportion to the striking force of the club swung by a player as in normal play.

The invention contemplates its use with conventional rules of golf and is intended to be supplemented by the player using a putting green or, if indoors, a carpet and a cup, to hole out.

A further object of the invention is to provide in the game described a ball or other sphere which is propelled by the mechanism retaining the tethered ball, the sphere being guided into a spiral track and its impetus, as determined by the manner in which the golf -ball is struck, carrying the sphere around the track to a distance in prol portion to that which the ball would actually travel, yardage being indicated on a transparent disc covering the track.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel track of arcuate contour for guiding the sphere, the track being provided along its spiral length with hurdles and other irregularities to impede the travel of the sphere and further the track being marked along its length with yardage increments along which the sphere is adapted to rest upon expending its momentum.

A different object of the invention is to provide a novel ball-tethering and retaining structure comprising a tube with an elongated slot therein through which extends an anchor pin secured to an ejector member reciprocal within the tube, the ejector member being yieldably restrained in movement with the ball secured to the anchor member.

A further object of the invention is to provide a backdrop in front of the teeing device, the backdrop being formed of deformable, shock-cushioning material such as uffy glass wool batting with-in a cover made of polyethylene or other polymer material, the backdrop being adapted to be hit by the ball to -temporarily indent the backdrop, which is marked with areas of fairway drives, out of bounds, hook, slice and other appropriate legends.

A still further object is to provi-de a novel cushioning or shock-absorbing structure in the nature of a dash pot to control the return of the ejector piston whereby preventing the anchor pin, which operates within the slotted portion of the tube, from forcibly striking the marginal end of the slot, which would otherwise deform upon being repeatedly hammered so as to cause malfunctioning besides also bending or breaking of the anchor pin.

More specifically, the invention comprehends the provision of a gaming device comprising a tee adapted to support a golf ball which is tethered by a exible chord, such as nylon, to an anchor pin connected to an ejector piston which operates within a cylindrical tube extending away from the tee in the direction of flight of the ball as it is struck by a player, the pin extending upwardly through a slot in the tube and moving with the ejector which is connected to a tension spring mounted within the tube, the spring being `adapted to be elongated while the ejector propels a marble or sphere positioned in front of the ejector, said marble exiting through the open end of the tube into a graduated spiral track disposed between two discs.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel yardage indicating device which comprises annular structure having a bottom and a peripheral wall with a spiral contour leading into a spiral track which may be formed on or secured to a top made of transparent plastic or the like material such as Lucite, the top being connected to an actuating mechanism which is adapted to lift and lower the top portion with the track to respectively release the marble or to guide the marble to record the yardage where the marble stops after having been propelled along the track.

A further object of the invention is to provide in the embodiment of the invention shown, a securemen-t for the track to the top disc by means of cotter pins which may serve as hurdles along the track for impingement by the ball or marble to restrain its travel, it being under stood that in a construction wherein the track is moulded to the top, such hurdles could be formed on the track and further, after a certain distance for example two hundred yards, a series of bounces could be provided to v expend the velocity of the ball.

Another object is to provide an operating mechanism for lifting and lowering the upper portion of the yardage designating device, said mechanism comprising cam means reactively disposed between the bottom and upper portions of the device and rotatable to cam the top portion upwardly to release the ball beneath the spiral track whereupon the ball is adapted to gravitate upon the inclined bottom portion to enter into the propelling device.

These and other -objects and advantages inherent in the device will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a plan view of the device shown partly in horizontal section;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 2 2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 2a is a fragmentary view comparable to FIG- URE 2 showing the top portion in ball-releasing elevated position, and fragmentarily showing the backdrop in cross-section.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally on line 4--4 of FlGURE 1 showing the connection of the track to the top portion;

FIG-URE 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG- URE 4, and

FIGURE 6 is a small perspective v-iew of the backdrop.

Description of the invention Describing the invention in detail with particular reference to the drawings, there is shown a golf game device generally designated 2 comprising a base board or support 3 which may be generally rectangular in plan.

The base mounts on the structure 4 at one end 5, a projectile or impeller structure 6 along one edge 7 and 3 a yardage or distance recording device S at its opposite end portion liti.

The tee structure 4, which may be plastic or hard rubber, comprises a vertical flange 12 which is secured along its lower edge portion 13 to the edge 14- of the base and the flange is curved at 15 along its upper edge and merges into a generally horizontal oor structure or tee-simulating mat 16 Within an opening 17 in which is secured a conical shaped head i8 at the lower end of a stem 19 of the 'tee 2% which has the ball-receiving cup 21 at its upper end. The mat 16 is mounted on any of a plurality of posts 23 secured thereto and to the top side 24 of the base.

A conventional golf ball 25 is placed upon the tee. The ball is suitably anchored as at 26 to one end of a flexible cord 27 which may be of nylon. The other end of the cord 27 has a swivel or universal connection at 23 with the upper end of an anchor in the form of a pin 29 which has a shank portion 3i? extending through an elongated slot 31 in the top side 32 of an elongated cylindrical tube 3'3 of the impeller or propelling mechanism 6. The lower end of the shank, said lower end indicated at 34, is preferably threaded into a side of the cylindrical ejector piston and guide element 35 which closely ts within the bore 36 of tube 33. The tube and piston may be of metal or any suitable plastic, as desired.

The tube 33 extends away from the tee in the direction of intended Hight of the ball and has one end portion 37 nnderposed with respect to the mat structure and is provided with a removable closure cap 38 having an eye 39 providing a connection for the hook 46 at one end of a tension spring 41 which is coaxially disposed in the tube and under slight tension stretch and connected at its other end to the eye 44 on the inner end of the piston ejector 35.

The ejector piston 35 complementarily and closely fits within the bore of the tube and as the piston is retracted by the spring from its extended position, it slowly releases air trapped within the chamber 46 by bleeding it thereabout. The extended position is shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 2 and in full lines on this gure.

It will be realized that within the limit of the slot 31 the ejector piston will travel rapidly back and forth. However, upon the inner end portion 47 of the piston ejector 35 entering the chamber 46, the air trapped therein will cushion retracting movement of the ejector to prevent the pin shank 30 from sharply striking Ithe end margin 48 of the slot 31 and galling and distorting the same and the pin. Furthermore, the ball is not shipped back with such force as may hurt the player but will be positively pulled back.

The tube 33 is secured by brackets 49, 49 ,to the base and toward the tee and receives a sphere or marble or indicator means Sil therein which in the position of FIG- URE 2 `is located in abutment against the front end 51 of the piston, The marble 50 is adapted to exit through the open end 53 of the tube and is guided upon the bottom wall 54 of the yardage or distance measuring component S by the upstanding spiral shaped peripheral ange wall 55 preferably integral with the bottom wall 54. The trajectory of the ball Sil is such that it bridges the return opening 56 between the radially circumferentially offset ends of the flange 55. The momentum of the ball 50 carries it into the groove 57 as developed between adjacent convolutions S of the spiral track strip 58a which at selected periodic intervals is secured by means of cotter keys 59 to 'the transparent plastic top 60. The cotter keys have their heads 59a nnderposed with respect to the lower edge 61 of the strip 58a and the legs 62, 63 of the key flank opposite sides 64, 65 of the strip and the upper ends of the legs project through ,the respective opening 66 in the top member 60; and are bent over at 62a and 63a. The track is marked at intervals with yardage preferably from 5 to 250 yards although this may be varied as desired. The legs 62 may serve as retards to the ball as it rolls around the track. The track and top, of course, may be a unitary plastic molding and the hurdles or bounces may be molded on the track.

The top member and track secured thereto are adapted to be lifted oif the inclined bottom portion which is secured by mounting pillars 68 to the base. The top member is preferably annular and has a plurality of `diametrically aligned spaced bearings 69, 69 secured to the top member which admits a rock shaft 7 0 to the opposite ends of which are secured a pair of cams 71, 7 each of which has a profile providing a lobe 72, which in the position shown in FIGURE 2a rides upon the tab extensions 73 of wall 54 lifting the track off the bottom wall 54 whereby releasing the ball 56 so that it gravitationally rolls in the bore 36 of the tube. The cam structure is actuated from the position of FGURE 2 to 'the position of FIGURE 2a by a foot operated linkage 75.

The operating linkage 75 comprises a crank pin 76 on the cam 7i, the pin being pivoted to the upper end of a link 77, which at its lower end is pivoted intermediate its ends at 79 on a horizontal axis to an ear structure 80 on the base, the opposite end of lever 7S having a foot pedal Si for stepping upon by the player after the player records the yardage on his own sc-oring indica-tor S2 mounted on the base. The top member 60 has a dependent guide post 83 which slidably ts into a center sleeve 84 on the bottom wall 54 and splined at 85 therewith against rotation.

A backdrop is provided in front of the unit 2, said backdrop being preferably made of soft, yieldable, readily deformable construction having, for example, a polyethylene case or cover 86 lled with fiber glass strands or loose cotton, wool or the like. The backdrop has its front face marked with a center segment 88 indicated Fairway, Hook and Slice areas 39, 9i) at opposite sides of the Fairway area S8, and along .the lateral margins of the backdrop there are areas designated Out of Bounds as pointed out at 91.

The player after having struck the ball records his yardage after checking where the ball hit the target 85. He then would fluff out the cover 86, release the ball 50 by lifting the top portion of the indicator 8. The ball 50 would return into the tube 33 against the ejector 35. The player would then place the golf ball on the tee 20 and would again strike the ball 25 as in normal golf using any of the conventional golf clubs. If playing with other players each would take his normal turn as in a conventional game. Each player continues to hit the ball 25 until he accumulates suicient yardage 'to put him on the green. The yardage may be incorporated on a score card as will be well known to those skilled in the art. After accumulating sufficient distance the player may putt on a conventional green (not shown) or, if indoors, the player may putt on a carpet into a cup.

Having described a preferred form of the invention, it will be understood that various other embodiments will be readily suggested to those skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described, comprising a tube having an imperforate portion with a closed end and an open end and a slotted portion extending from the open end of the imperforate portion coaxially therewith, an ejector piston reciprocal within the slotted portion of the tube, a tension spring within the imperforate portion having one end connected to the ejector piston and the other end to the closed end of the imperforate portion for pulling one end of the ejector piston endwise into the open end of said imperforate portion, said imperforate portion defining with the closed end thereof and said ejector piston a gas compression chamber, said ejector piston having a close fit with the bore of the tube, an anchor pin connected to said ejector piston and extending radially outwardly from the tube through an elongated slot in the slotted portion of the tube, a golf ball, a flexible connection cord fixed at one end to the ball and having a swivel connection to its other end with the anchor pin, a tee at one end of the tube for mounting the ball, a backdrop spaced from the other end of the tube facing the tee and having temporarily indentible surface with indicia thereon designating the trajectory of the ball after it is hit by a player oi the tee toward the backdrop.

2. In a golfing distance recording device, an enclosure having a pair of spaced walls and a spiral track therebetween, distance indicating means subdividing the track into a series of predetermined increments, said track having an inlet end for reception of an associated spherical projectile, and means for separating the track from the walls for releasing the projectile into an associated ejector, and said walls being spaced vertically and one of said Walls being a bottom and the other a top, and means connecting the track to the top, and operator-controlled cam means operatively mounted on one of the walls and reactive against the other wall for lifting the top wall and track off the bottom wall and off the projectile, said bottom wall adapted to be inclined to effect gravitational roll out of the projectile from the enclosure.

3. In a golfing game, a base, a tee at one end of the base, a golf ball thereon, a distance recording device including a container at opposite end of the base, an ejector assembly having extension and retracting movements between the tee and the recording device and having a closed end at the tee and an open end communicating with the container, means for cushioning said retracting movements of the ejector assembly toward the tee, means for cushioning said extension movements of Ithe ejector assembly including a backdrop having an indentible surface, means connecting the ball to the ejector assembly, and means operative by the ejector assembly for movement to the container, and means Within the container for recording distance of traverse of the ball.

4. In a golf game, means including a golf-ball actuated spherical projectile, a recording device having a bottom, a track thereon having an open bottom, a transparent top with yardage indicating means thereon along the track, said top and track being concomitantly moveable upwardly and downwardly with respect to the bottom, and cam means rotatably journaled to the top and having reactive engagement against the bot-tom and rotatable to a position lowering the track and top and to another position elevating the same, and means for ejecting the projectile from the recording device upon 'the track being elevated leaving the spherical projectile on the bottom.

5. The invention according to claim 4 and said track having a series of hurdles along the length thereof for impeding travel of the projectile.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 914,873 3/1909 Peter 73-380 1,216,382 2/1917 Wenyon 273-95 1,940,970 12/1933 Schollmeyer 73-279 1,991,252 2/1935 Kane 273-185 XR 2,230,064 1/1941 MacDougall et al. 273-112 3,081,633 3/1963 Von Soden 73-379 JAMES I. GILL, Acting Primary Examiner. RICHARD C. QUEISSER, Examiner. I. I. SMITH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, COMPRISING A TUBE HAVING AN IMPERFORATE PORTION WITH A CLOSED END AND AN OPEN END AND A SLOTTED PORTION EXTENDING FROM THE OPEN END OF THE IMPERFORATE PORTION COAXIALLY THEREWITH, AN EJECTOR PISTON RECIPROCAL WITHIN THE SLOTTED PORTION OF THE TUBE, A TENSION SPRING WITHIN THE IMPERFORATE PORTION HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO THE EJECTOR PISTON AND THE OTHER END TO THE CLOSED END OF THE IMPERFORATE PORTION FOR PULLING ONE END OF THE EJECTOR PISTON ENDWISE INTO THE OPEN END OF SAID IMPERFORATE PORTION, SAID IMPERFORATE PORTION DEFINING WITH THE CLOSED END THEREOF AND SAID EJECTOR PISTON A GAS COMPRESSION CHAMBER, SAID EJECTOR PISTON HAVING A CLOSE FIT WITH THE BORE OF THE TUBE, AN ANCHOR PIN CONNECTED TO SAID EJECTOR PISTON AND EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE TUBE THROUGH AN ELONGATED SLOT IN THE SLOTTED PORTION OF THE TUBE, A GOLF BALL, A FLEXIBLE CONNECTED CORD FIXED AT ONE END TO THE BALL AND HAVING A SWIVEL CONNECTION TO ITS OTHER END WITH THE ANCHOR PIN, A TEE AT ONE END OF THE TUBE FOR MOUNTING THE BALL, A BACKDROP SPACED FROM THE OTHER END OF THE TUBE FACING THE TEE AND HAVING TEMPORARILY INDENTIBLE SURFACE WITH INDICIA THEREON DESIGNATING THE TRAJECTORY OF THE BALL AFTER IT IS HIT BY A PLAYER OFF THE TEE TOWARD THE BACKDROP. 